Reversible bellows.



' L. E. MAIER. REVERSIBLE ,BBLLOWS.

APPLIUATION FILED swru 28, 1907.

Patented May 31, 1910.

1 www' LOUIS I-I. MAIER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO JOI-IN I-I. LUDWIG, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

REVERSIBLE BELLOWS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 31, 1910.

Original application filed March 22, 1906, Serial No. 307,342. Divided and this application filed September To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Louis I-I. MAIER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York city, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reversible Bellows, of which the following is a specification.

This application is a division of my application tiled March 22, 1906, Serial No. 307,342, and the object of my invention is to provide a bellows with a plurality of ports so that air may flow into and from the bellows in either direction through said ports to permit suction to be maintained in the bellows through either port as desired, and a further object of the invention is to provide means to regulate the degree of tension maintained in the bellows so that the same may operate to produce high or low tension suction as required.

My invention comprises novel details of improvement more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved bellows; Figs. 2 and 3 are end views of the bellows, looking from the left in Fig. 1, showing different positions of collapse of the bellows; Fig. 4 is a section substantially on the line 4, 4, in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5, 5, in Fig. 4 showing valve 22 in a lowered position, and Fig. G is a section on the line 6 in Fig. 4.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

At 17 is a bellows of suitable or usual general construction, and its stationary board 17 a may be attached to a suitable support 1a. Said bellows is provided with an interior wall or block 18 having passages 19, 20, that open into the interior of the bellows by side ports 19a, 20a, shown in Fig. 5, and whose outer ports 19h, 2Gb, may communicate, respectively, with ports of channels or passages of any desired apparatus, such as channels of a self-playing musical instrument, as more fully set forth in my application Serial No. 307,342 above mentioned. W'ithin bellows 17, pivoted so as to slide along the side of block 18, is an adjustable board or valve 21 having ports 21a, 21h, adapted to co-act, respectively, with the ports 19a, 20a, in block 18.

Serial No. 394,964.

At 22 is a cut-olf or regulating valve or plate pivotally supported (as by screw 23 which also supports valve 21) and is located at the side of valve 21 so as to cross the ports 21a, 21h, during movements of board 17 b of the bellows to cut off the flow of air through said bellows according to the collapse of said bellows. The valve 22 is shown connected by a link 24 and screw 25 with board 17h, so as to reciprocate with said board, and said screw 25 is made adjustable to vary the action of the valve 22 with respect to ports 21a, 21b as desired. For this purpose I have shown screw 25 passing through a block 26 on board 17b and provided with nuts 27, 28, for adjustment, a

'liexible or leather piece 29 connecting the screw 25 with board 17b to prevent the passage of air while permitting adjustment of said screw. As the valve 22 reciprocates on an arc described around its axis 23, I have shown the port 21b as arranged parallel with board 17, and the port 21a at an acute angle thereto, whereby when bellows 17 is expanded both of said ports may be substantially equally uncovered by valve 22, and as the edge 22a of valve 22 crosses said ports, as the bellows is collapsed, said valve will cut olf said ports substantially in equal degree, whereby the passage of air into and from the bellows through said ports may be maintained substantially equal in area during the reciprocation of valve 22.

To adjust the position of valve 21 as desired with respect to valve 22 I have shown rod or arm 30 connected with valve 21, as by a screw 39, and a leather piece 38, connected with said arm and with board 17a (see Fig. 4) at the opening 17 c of said board through which arm 30 operates, prevents the passage of air at opening 17 c. Arm 30 may be operated in any suitable manner to adjust the position of valve 21 with respect to the ports of block 18,.whereby when valve 21 is raised as shown in Fig. 4 low tension of air may be produced and when valve 21 is moved down it'will shift ports 21a, 21b downwardly from valve 22 for producing high tension of air.

At 4() is a piece of felt secured upon block 18 against which board 17 b will bear to limit extreme collapse of the bellows. A clip 41 secured to block 18 and extending in front of valve 21 keeps said valve against said block.

I have shown means to control the collapsing of the bellows, or in other words to regulate the degree of tension maintained in the bellows or channels connected therewith, as follows: The spring 45 is shown in usual V-form connected with the bellows, in well known manner, and at 46 is a frame or box consisting of side plates 4Ga having a block 47 provided with a notch 48 receiving the end of the spring, whereby the spring is covered on its edges and free to vibrate between the side plates 46a, and to said side plates is secured, as by screws, a block or wedge 50, shown in tapering form, located between the leaves of the spring, and having its apex facing the apex of the spring and of such width as to permit the spring to contact freely for a suitable distance and to cause the lea-ves of the spring to have increasing tension by gradually bearing on wedge 50 as the bellows collapses. Vhen valve 21 is raised, say to its highest point, as in Fig. 4, the spring 45 will be free to allow the bellows to collapse, and thereby valve 22 will cut-off and regulate air from flowing through the ports 21a, 21", whereby a decreased suction passes through the bellows, maintaining low tension, and when valve 21 is raised, as stated, the relation of wedge 50 to spring 45 is such that it does not interfere with the collapsing of the bellows as the spring will not engage the wedge while suoli low tension is being produced while valve 21 is raised. This condition is shown in Fig. 2, where the bellows is indicated as partly collapsed producing a decreased tension. lVhen valve 21 is moved down to its low limit (from its position in Fig. 4) the ports 21a, 21", are thus adjusted lower from the high position of valve 21, and thereby during the collapsing of the bellows valve 22 will be checked in its descent by reason of the leaves of spring 45 engaging wedge 50, and the ports 21-, 21b will not be cut off by valve 22 to so great a degree as before mentioned, and thereby the greatest tension of spring 45, increased by block or wedge 50, is caused to act on the bellows, thereby allowing the greatest quantity of exhaust or suction to pass through the ports 21a, 21b giving high tension exhaust in the channels beyond. 1ntermediate positions of valve 21 cause varying exhaust in the channels to a greater or less degree, by reason of the sooner or later contact of the leaves of the spring 45 with wedge 50.

From the foregoing it will be understood that as a normal or intermediate exhaust tension is being drawn from the bellows such tension may be varied by moving arm 30 up or down, thereby shifting the position of ports 21a and 21b with relation to valve 22, the valve 22 serving to cut off both of said ports simultaneously in substantially equal degree during collapsing of bellows 17, and thus the flow of air can be in either direction through the bellows, and be equally controlled at all times because both ports can be controlled by valve 22. By operating nuts 27 and 28 to adjust screw 25, valve 22 may be adjusted to or from board 17h, thereby causing valve 22 to close ports 21a, 21b later or sooner, thereby utilizing a stronger or weaker pair of springs 45 and maintaining a stronger or weaker degree of suction.

The ports 19h, 20h, or both of them, may be connected with any suitable suction bellows or apparatus for drawing air through the bellows in the desired direction, as in the manner set forth in my said application No. 307,342, and the degree of suction through the bellows may be regulated at will by shifting the position of valve 21 with respect to the valve 22 whereby to produce the tonal effects desired, in a self-playing musical instrument equipped with my bellows, whereby when valve 21 is raised low tension through the bellows will be produced and when said valve is moved downwardly high tension in the bellows will be produced. The bellows will operate as a reverse reducing or governing bellows under similar tension by reason of the fact that both ports leading into the bellows are simultaneously regulated by valve 22 and both in substantially equal degree, as distinguished from a bellows in which a single port is controlled by a valve thereby permitting suction in one way only through the bellows out through said port, for in such case when suction passes reversely the bellows collapses and passage through the bellows is cut off through its valve. Therefore, by means of my improvements, wind inducing apparatus may be connected with both ports of the bellows and provision may be so made as to shift the suction through the bellows from one port to the other as required so that my improved bellows is reversible, in that suction may flow through the same in either direction at will, while high tension and low tension suction may be produced in the bellows by shifting valve 21 as desired.

A maximum collapse of the bellows, at which time there would be no suction therein, may be referred to as such time when valve 22 fully covers both ports 21a and 21", which would be the condition in a piano player equipped with my improvements when an extreme reduction of exhaust is desired, but the maximum collapse may also be in accordance with the t-ension of the spring 45 and such position of valve 22 in which both ports are not absolutely covered, when there would be some air passing in the bellows and consequently less reduction. So far as an air inlet is required to break the partial vacuum immediately after the maximum collapse first above defined, which in the piano player art is commonly called a bleed, any suitable air inlet or bleed may be provided, and this may be established by reason of the ordinary fitting of the parts 2l or 22, or both, with respect to the corresponding surface against which they act, such as is usually present in the woodwork used in bellows of piano players. I have found such tting of the parts as sufficient. for the practical purpose of my present invention in a piano player.

Having now described my invention what I claim is:

l. A bellows provided with a plurality of interior ports connected to different coperating chambers whereby the flow through the bellows may be reversed, and a valve connected with the movable board of the bellows to control said ports substantially simultaneously by the movements of said board.

2. A reversible bellows provided with a plurality of interior ports, an adjustable valve seat having ports to co-act with the first named ports, to vary the position of the ports with respect to the movable board of the bellows, and a valve to co-act with the second named ports, said valve being connected with the movable board of the bellows whereby said ports will be controlled in substantially similar degree during the movement of said movable board to permit the direction of air flow to be reversed.

8. A bellows provided with a plurality of interior ports, a valve connected with the movable board of the bellows to control said ports substantially simultaneously by the movements of said board to open or close said ports simultaneously more or less, and means for adjustably connecting said valve with said board to regulate the position of the valve with respect to the ports.

A. A bellows provided with a plurality of interior ports, a valve connected with the movable board of the bellows to control said ports substantially simultaneously by the movement of said board to open or close said ports simultaneously more or less, a

screw connected with said valve, means connected with the movable board for adjusting said screw and holding it in set position, and means to prevent the passage of air through said movable board at said screw.

5. A bellows provided with an interior block having a plurality of ports connected to different cooperating chambers whereby the flow through the bellows may be reversed, an adjustable valve seat having ports to co-act with the first named ports, and a valve connected with the movable board of the bellows to control the flow of air throughv said ports.

6. A bellows provided with an interior block having a plurality of ports opening through a board of' the bellows and also opening through the side of the block and connected to different cooperating chambers whereby the flow through the bellows may be reversed, an adjustable valve seat having transverse ports to co-act with the side ports in said block, and a valve connected with the movable board of the bellows to co-act with the ports in the adjustable valve.

7. The combination of a bellows, an interior block therein provided with ports located atan angle to each other connected to different cooperating chambers whereby the flow through the bellows may be reversed, an adjustable valve seat having ports at an angle to each other corresponding substantially to the angle of' the first named ports, a valve to co-act with the second named ports and having its operating edge located so as to cut oill said ports substantially in equal degree during its movements, and means for connecting said valve with the movable board of the bellows.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York, and State of' New York, this 16th day of September, A. D. 1907.

LOUIS H. MAIER.

lVitnesses T. F. BoURNn, MARni F. VVAINRIGHT. 

